Sightings Report: T36, T36Bs, and T137s - May 5th, 2022

May 23

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T127 Loon, the mother and matriarch of the T137 matrline, surfacing in the water.

Date: Thursday, May 5th, 2022Location: Lighthouse Park, Mukilteo, WashingtonWeather: Raining 46 degrees Fahrenheit with 6mph winds from STide: EbbPods/Matrilines: T36, T36Bs, T137sTotal Whale Count: 9Behaviors: TravelingBoat Count: 3 (3 whale watch boats)

It was another wet morning in the Pacific Northwest, and we saw reports of multiple matrilines (T36, T36Bs, and T137s) trending north from Seattle. After following the updates for a while, it seemed that the orcas were committed to a northward direction close to the mainland shore, meaning we had a chance to get some good looks.We decided to intercept them at Lighthouse Beach in Mukilteo. Shortly after arriving, we saw a couple of whale watch boats coming into view, including two vessels from Puget Sound Express and the Victoria Clipper. Each boat was spread out in different locations, indicating the orcas were split into multiple groups.Once we spotted the orcas, we were able to confirm they were indeed split into two groups (possibly 3). The first group we confirmed the ID of T137 "Loon" traveling with a couple other individuals, (likely T137B and T137D). T137A "Jack" the large male, was traveling alone between the two groups. The second group we were able to confirm the IDs of T36B "Tattertip" and her calf T36B3 "Chip".An interesting note about these matrilines, is that T36 "Flapjack" is the suspected mother of T137 "Loon", which would make T36B "Tattertip" the sister of T137, meaning these two matrilines are extended family of one another.The two groups passed Mukilteo about mid channel, closer to the Mukilteo side. People on the shore were able to see the orcas with the naked eye, despite the rain and haze. We viewed the orcas continuing to trend north towards Hat Island into Possession Sound (Everett). We followed them north, ending up at Harborview Park in Everett, where they were last spotted near the Everett Marina. After this point, a thick marine layer set in, and we lost sight of the whales and called it a day. They were later reported to be seen in Port Susan.All vessels remained over 300 yards distance and followed Whale Wise Guidelines. No research or enforcement vessels were present. A dialog of the T36 and T36B matriline. The T36s and T36Bs consist of 5 individuals: T36 "Flapjack" (52 year old female), T36B "Tattertip" (24 year old female), T36B1 "Bhotia (13 year old female), T36B2 "Greenfelder" (9 year old, sex unknown), and T36B3 "Chip" (4 year old male) A diagram of the T137 matriline. The T137s consist of 4 individuals: T137 “Loon” (38 year old female) and her offspring T137A “Jack: (20 year old male), T137B “Tempest” (16 year old female), and T137D “Wright” (10 year old female). https://youtu.be/9N-a12FLTS0 Mother T36B Tattertip with her young calf T36B3 Chip.